By Beth Hepple & Emma Glanfield: A neighbour saw a hooded youth fleeing from a Shelton house just seconds before it went up in flames in a suspected arson attack.

Three students were lucky to escape alive after their house on Leek Road was set on fire.

By Emma Glanfield, Beth Hepple and Ted Woodward: Police are appealing for witnesses to a house fire in Stoke-on-Trent.

The blaze at Leek Road in Shelton happened at around 7am yesterday (November 8) and saw three students rescued by firefighters.

And Staffordshire Police have confirmed that the fire is being treated as “unexplained”.

By Ted Woodward, Emma Glanfield and Beth Hepple: A fire at a student house in Stoke-on-Trent is being treated as arson.

Three students were lucky to escape without injury after the blaze on Leek Road, Shelton.

Police have now confirmed they are treating the blaze as suspicious, but no arrests have been made.

By Ted Woodward: Three students have been rescued from a house fire in Shelton.

Firefighters were called to the address on Leek Road at around 7am this morning.

Around 80 per cent of the property was damaged in the blaze.

Area Commander Steve Pope told StaffsLive: “We believe at this stage that a gas main was fractured and that fed the fire.”

By Beth Hepple & Michelle Sarel: Shelton residents are demanding changes to the way rubbish is collected after a number of bins were not emptied.

Over-flowing bins and fly tipping have become common sights in the area, leaving people living in the area to call for more recycling options.

By Emma Glanfield: The managers of the Bargain Booze off-license in Shelton have denied rumours that the store will be closing its doors.

The business on College Road is run by Paul and Sue Wardle and has traded in various guises for more than 70 years.

By Emma Glanfield: A busy Stoke-on-Trent road was closed after a two-car collision.

Police and paramedics were called to the scene on College Road, Shelton, where a car travelling towards Shelton collided with a parked vehicle.

Detectives in Stoke-on-Trent are questioning two men held in connection with a robbery at a shop on Old Hall Street.

By Leanne Kirtley: A Staffordshire University student has appeared in court charged with ABH after a fancy dress party incident.
Scott Finlay Allen, 19, of Baker Street, Northampton, appeared at Fenton Magistrates after the incident involving a fellow student at the LRV on Leek Road on January 21 this year.
Allen and the other student were attending a fancy dress event when a sheep costume caught fire.
The victim suffered 4% burns to his neck, stomach, hands and buttocks.
Allen, who was given unconditional bail, will reappear at magistrates on June 22, where it’s …

By Liz Quinn: Business owners in Shelton are gearing up for a tough summer as students head home for the holiday period.
With this year’s holiday period coming on the back of a tough recession, businesses that rely on students from Staffordshire University for much of their trade are fearing that this summer could be harsher than most.
StaffsLive went out to find out how some of these companies will cope: